Han Yu (768-824); born in Nanyang; Henan; China; was a precursor of Neo-Confucianism as well as an essayist and poet; during the Tang dynasty. The Indiana Companion calls him 'comparable in stature to Dante; Shakespeare or Goethe' for his influence on the Chinese literary tradition. He stood for strong central authority in politics and orthodoxy in cultural matters. He is also among China's finest prose writers; second only to Sima Qian; and first among the 'Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song'. Song Dynasty poet Su Shi praised Han Yu recording that he had written prose which 'raised the standards after eight dynasties of literary weaknesses'.